i have my block at the machine shop and it has been bored magnafluxed ect.i told him i want the cam bearings and freeze plus put in and he doesn't want to do it.(by the way i am going to probably have to grind the block for clearance for the 383 bottom end.)he said that you grind it first and then brick it back to him so he can hot tank it again.now, i was told that the cam and timing chain have to be in the block along with the crank and soforth to check clearances.am i wrong or is this guy jerking me around?let me know what u guys think.thanks...

Assuming there are no cam bearings in the block now, I'd do it they way he says. Check for recip assembly clearance and grind the block as needed. Then have it cleaned and have the cam bearings installed. When you get it back from that, install the recip assembly and the cam and check for connecting rod to cam clearance. Then have the recip assembly balanced.

The way I would do this is to take my old core motor and leave the old bearings in it and install the cam, crank and piston assy's without rings probably one at a time and turn her over by hand and mark the spots to be clearanced.

Then do the clearance grinding and then take my dirty core motor to the Machine Shop and boil her clean or however they clean it!!

I would even carefully knock the freezeplugs and cam bearings out as well as strip the dorman plugs or pipe plugs or whatever they sealed the oil gallaries with to make it easier on the Machinist.

Get to know the guy if you can, that is if he has time to shoot the breeze with a gearhead!!

pdq67

i already have the rotating assembly balanced.i've been reading posts on this forum for quite awhile knowing that i was going to put a 383 together.most of them said to have the cam and timing chain in the block when checking the clearances.now there r no cam bearings in it now.i was going to power wash he hell out of the block after i was done with the grinding.is this totally the wrong way to go about it?

emtcee1973, I have done it both ways. Depending on the rods you use this will make a big difference in how much grinding will be needed. Since you already balanced the rotating assembly, what happens if the rods need to be clearanced to clear the cam? If you are using profiled rods "OR" a small base circle cam you will probably be fine in that area.

I understand why your machinist wants to do it his way, makes sense, but like I said I have done it the other way as well (I did it by hand will files to keep the metal from flying all over), it took a bit longer. I used a vacuum to clean up the metal and then washed it down.

If you plan on using this guy in the future I suggest you do as he recommends, that way if something goes wrong he won't be able t blame it on you not listening.

Every block is different and I have heard a few guys on here say they didn't have to gring anything. All the ones I have built I had to clearance the block, but I have never had to run a small base circle cam.

then i suppose my question is how do u know where to grind the rods if the cam isn't intalled?i know its balanced already but isn't it better to have the cam in there to make sure its not going to hit?i've never built a stroker before but how much grinding on the rods is neccesery?i mean enough to throw the thing out of balance?its an eagle complete rotating assembly.

emt, (Name ???)
Your machinist is not jerking you around. There is NO way to properly clean a block after grinding on it if you have the cam bearings in place. If you want to mock it up with the cam, ask him if he has a couple of old cam bearings to put in the front and rear positions. If not, you will have to buy 2 sets. They are not all that expensive anyway in the overall sceme of things. Once you are done grinding, you need to put the engine on a stand and scrub it thoroughly with detergent and hot water. Then dry it completely and have the cam bearings installed. If you want to be an engine builder, there are no shortcuts. Do it right or dont do it smile.gif
Hope this helps,

its not that i'm trying to take a "shortcut".i really just want to do it right.the thing is i've never used this guy before and he has had my block for over a month and he's starting to **** me off.i've built several motors before and never had them take so long at the machine shop.